OK guys, this project after sitting nowhere for 15 months, is finally now going somewhere.
It's at the shop and the exciting rebuild has begun.
We have decided to build it back exactly to stock.
Have removed the manifold from the spare motor and fitted to the existing motor in the car.
The A12A engine has been started and is in excellent condition. Fuel tank now reconditioned, radiator is at re conditioners now, fuel system currently being rebuilt.
Thermostat housing was RS, as was the entire brake system (except, ironically, the shoes - which are OK).
Have replaced all brake cylinders and master cylinder but having a bit of trouble getting the system bled out.
(it's the standard dual leading drums on the front)
Anyone out there got a few clues / short cuts for bleeding standard Datto brakes?

ZM

Pm datsandy- see if after moving house he might be willing? Some of his home work been good.

OK all thats done and now I'm back and it's time to kick this project off the ground. What I need right now is the name of a few good body / trim shops in Western Sydney who would like to take on the body side as I clearly don't have the time to do this side of the job but as with all time poor people, there's a considerable budget to pay someone else to do it as long as I can find the right person who'se not going to rip me off or do a crap job.

Definitely good cash waiting for the right restorer out there.

Any names, people?

ZM

Naah, not yet. It's a sloow project. Was going to do body first but now decided to do drivetrain first. Just collecting bits, need those front disc struts and a new carby..

UPDATE Aug 2011:

This project has unfortunately ground to a halt for the time being. Due to various reasons one of my other vehicles required sudden major attention (new motor and now external repaint) and so the Datto project has been postponed to commence in early 2012. Still collecting parts, looking for a new Hitachi stock carby for it next, the $250 ones on Ebay seem a bit steep on price but worth it I guess.

I have found a replacement inlet manifold to suit the A12A motor (actually I found another complete motor..) and started stockpiling internal trim parts.

More in early 2012..

ZM

got pics of you lpg set up so far?

OK just thought it might be time for an update on this one..

Good news is that I have been able to track down a new manifold of the correct bolt pattern (came with a free motor!). Been busy on Ebay too, now I have got replacement front and side lights, door panels and kick panels, carpets, tracked down a drivers' door and right fender and a rear right light. A new carby is on the way, as the three I currently have all show signs of significant wear and a new one isn't that expensive.

I've decided to upgrade the front drums to disks, and tracked down some. Basically now it's waiting for me to get the damage at the rear repaired, strip the body ready for a respray and then get on with the restore.

ZM

yeah i though tthe same about the twin su set up, but just not enough draw for the signal.

plan on making a plumen for the L series su manifold and apadting the r31 tb to the front of that.

but if it back fires... boom!

Update:

I've taken out the fuel system now (that 10 year old bodgy fuel really was awful.. made a big mess of the tank, will need to replace entire fuel sys).

Ive decided to restore basically to stock then register and get it on the road and then play with the LPG after that.

Now I just need to find a replacement manifold for the one that cracked (see Classifieds)..

ZM

Thanks, good advice there about the twin set up, I just assumed the twin would get more air in there and thus work better but if not then I'm happy to stay with the single as I'm more familiar with that set up (both my other utes are LPG)

Need to work this out first because I need to source the new manifold and I don't want to get the twin set up if there's no point to it.

I converted the Toyota to LPG soon after I got it in 2000 and since then have been a solid LPG fan. Tuning is tricky and you need to make sure the converter is top notch but I've got a good tuning guy (Hi Comp Performance in Minchinbury) who has lots of LPG experience and (importantly) also a dyno in his work shop. Ive found a lot of LPG converts suffer from running too lean because the conversion shops spec converters that are just too small for the job. They run fine on idle and the highway but when you want that extra kick grunt the mixture starts to run lean which causes all sorts of hassles and inevitably - backfires and explosions. This only ever shows up on the dyno and since we upped the size of the converter on the Toyota ute, reworked the head, re tuned it and added extractors it runs better now on LPG than Petrol, IMO. And the mileage is incredible - 650k to 100lts - and that's loaded!

I just love how all the power is right there cold as soon as you turn the key, no matter what the weather, and no worries about dodgy fuel either. All the fuel burns, no mucking about with kickdown pumps in the carby (the bane of if the original Hitachi carbys on the Datto 1200 as far as I'm concerned).

Happy to hear about anyone else's opinion on this, would like to lock a direction down nice and early!

Zordmaker

i went straight lpg on my a15 back in 2008, with a twin su carby set up. I dont advise it really and neither did revhead001 who is a lpg trained tech and Jmac, and lpg master of all things information based.

Tried it on my L series conversion with much faileure too (nothis changed on the set up except L16 not a15 engine.

A single set up with a larger throttle body adaptor (r31 throttle body with adaptor to the stock manaifold) to the manifold yeilded musch better results and driveability and power than the twin system ever did , and not issues with the lull in the paower range the su set up always had. Think it was issues with the signal draw and the pistons dropping slightly in the sus.

Good luck, i have my stwin su set up still as would like to nut it out one day but not really worth it when the single set up is easier to work with and drive.

You should fit a 66lt tank between the rear arches on a bracket too. no dramas there.